Mark Murphy '77, who led the Colgate football team as captain and went on to lead the athletics department as director, has been named president and chief executive officer of one of the most storied franchises in professional sports: the Green Bay Packers.

The team's board of directors unanimously approved Murphy's appointment to replace longtime Packers leader Bob Harlan. Murphy, who earned Super Bowl and Pro Bowl honors as a free safety with the Washington Redskins, called his appointment a "tremendous" opportunity.

"The Packers are one of the great franchises in all of professional sports, with a rich history and incredible fan support," Murphy said in a statement. "These are successful times for the Packers. On the field they're performing well, and off the field, they're in great shape, too. I look forward to being a part of that continued success."

Murphy played eight years with the Redskins, then became an assistant executive director of the NFL Players Association and later a trial lawyer with the U.S. Department of Justice. He holds a law degree and an MBA in finance. He returned to Colgate as director of athletics in January 1992. He left in 2003 to become athletics director at Northwestern University.